Drafp coupling and power steering unit



Oct. 1, 1946. E S 2,408,360

1mm com m POWER swmunc UNIT- Filed June 29, 1945 3. INVENTOR. I R.L.Hker5 I BY Patented Oct. 1, 1946 J JA kerS, Peoria; 111:, assignor to 1 -R..G'.Les'1I0urneau,.Inc., ste kten oaurg eorg J A, notation of California Application s ue ze, 1945; SerialiNmfiOZfifl I This; invention: is directed -to-,i,,and it:, 'is an 0101- ject-twmovide; a novel draft-coupling; andgpgower; steering unit l arranged for connectionbetween: a: tracton andthe-forwa-rdly projecting draft ,tongne; oryokeof a=tr-ailer:. 1

Such. a: combination,' but1 with'a-l draftcoupling and power steering, unita-of. modified, desigrn; is shown for example in copending U. S..pa-tent: ap.-- plication entitled=Powerjsteen for'vehicles, Serial No. 57 2 684,- filedmlanuary- 1:3; 1945,.,Eatent--;No.- 2 D;-2l3;- granted: May 14,-;1-,946-.-

A further object of the;presentzinventiomis-to provide: a -draft coupling; and E power: steering unit adapted; to connect a tractor and trailer in steerr: able, yet laterally; tiltable. relation; the power steering mechanism. of l the unit being. arranged term nation: proper-ly'andefiectively regardless of normalwrelativelateral. tiltbetween: the tractor andtrailer'. 1.;

An additionalobjec. is toiprovidaa draitmcou; pling and power: steering unit-,,;asz inzthezpreceding paragraph, inqwhichvthei unit includes a; housing. mountedon thetractojr for relativealateral tilting about 3 longitudinally extending; substantially horizontal a-xi-sg. an. upstanding-finest. rotatably mountediin: and profiectingjupwardly: from; the housing tor; rigid: connection with:v the: trailer at reversibl-y driven shaft; enteringl said. housing axially; and-igears. in the housing; connecting, the drive: shaft and postiwhereby; the. latter is: rotated to-steer the tractor: regardless vofithernorn'lal rela:.- tive lateral tilt betweenthe-latten and; the: trailer;

Another object; ofithe: invention. is: to; provide a;- draft. couplinggandzpower steering: unit"- which is :very simplein; desigm-hui'nruggedz and reliable in construction, as is necessary for tl'l'Bi-IJUIXDOSB for: themnit fissusedi' These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. i

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the draft coupling and power steering unit as mounted between the rear end of a tractor and. the forward end of a trailer.

Figure 2 is an elevation, mainly in section, of the unit.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the draft coupling and power steering unit is adapted for connection between the deck I on the rear of a tractor, and the forwardly projecting draft mains. (o1. 186 79.47

tongue 0i yoke 2; lof-rartrailen, and;

prises; the following structural} arrangement-r. An enclosed: gear; housing; 3:...which: is substantiallytirou lar in plan is disposed in spaced relar tiomabovea the. deck l, of. the tractor, and. said housing includes a-t opposite ends, ;oppositely and l0n'gitudinallyeextending;tr-unnionsMandi- {The trunnions- 4;; and; 5r arel tur-nablyr supponted. in". heavy-duty ears or. bearing; bracketsrfiiwhlch are fixed Tin: connection with: and-.upstandlfrpmithe deck I. As so mounted thegean housing 3i is supported for; lateral tilting, movementabout a substantially. horizontal longitudinally extending,

a'XiSi g Substantially centrally; thereoi. the gear house ing 3713 formed"? with. am upward1y- -pro;eetingv bearing neck .11. andanupstanding post il is suitably journalediin the housingt in a bearing .la and; extends in: turnable relation upwardly, througlr saidbearing neck. l to a termination thereaboye. y

Aboveetherbearing neck. l the postaamis formed; with; Y a flat-,t vertical, andnormally 1 rearwardly, facing attachmentplate 9rto which a corresponding. attachment plate, 10 on; the. forward. end. of the: draft-tongue or yoke? of the trailer is'coupled inidetachable-relation bysecuring bolts Ll By: reason-of: the above. describedflstructuresthe tractor is: coupled 'n: steerable but laterally tilt. ableerelation tolthetrailer the :posteB being relatively-rotatedlby the. following power. mechanism in: order: to: accomplish. steering of. the. tractor relative =1 to:v ther trailer;

1% bevel gear His disposedin the gearhousing 31 and. includes aaverticali axis hub .l3 surrounding and fixed in connection with the post 8.. The bevel. gean faces. downwardly and.v runs 1 in mesh with a. horizontal axis, bevel pinion I4 disposed in the forward portion of the housing 3. The bevel pinion I4 is-fixed on the inner end of a drive shaft l5 which extends axially through the trunnion 5, being carried in a suitable bearing Hi. The shaft I5 is selectively and reversibly driven by tractor engine actuated power transmission means (not shown), but which may be of any suitable type.

With powered rotation of the shaft [5 in one direction or the other, relative turning of the post 8 in the bearing neck I results, causing steering of the tractor in'a corresponding direction; such steering being accomplished regardless of the relative lateral tilt between the tractor and trailer, and for the reason that such lateral tilting merely rotates the gear housing 3 axially about the drive shaft l5 and thus does not intermatching flanges I1 secured together by bolts I8. I

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that therehas been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention; as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power steering unit comprisin a member adapted to be mounted on the tractor for relative lateral tilting about a longitudinal axis, a post adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, said post being mounted on and projecting from the member for relative rotation about an upstanding axis, a gear secured concentrically on the post, and a reversibly driven, shaft supported pinion in mesh with the gear, said pinion and laterally tiltable member being coaxial along the longitudinal axis of tilting of the latter.

2. A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power,

steering unit comprising a member adapted to be mounted on the tractor for relative lateral tilting about a longitudinal axis, a post adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, said post being mounted on and projecting from the member for relative rotation about an upstanding axis, said member being hollow andthe post extending thereinto, and drive means connected to the post within the member and operable to eifect such relative rotation of the post without affecting such lateral tilting movement of the member.

3. A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power steering unit comprising a member adapted to be mounted on the tractor for relative lateral tilting about a, longitudinal axis, a post adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, said post being mounted on and projecting from the member for relative rotation about an upstanding axis, said member being hollow and the post extending ther'einto, a reversible drive shaft projecting into the member and disposed co-axially with the said longitudinal axis of tilting thereof, and drive connections between the shaft and post within themember.

4'. A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power 4 steering unit comprising a member adapted to be mounted on the tractor for relative lateral tilting about a longitudinal axis, a post adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, said post being mounted on and projecting from the member for relative rotation about an upstanding axis, saidmember being hollow and the post extending thereinto,"a reversible drive shaft projecting into the member and disposed co-axially with the said longitudinal axis of tilting thereof, and drive connectionsv between the shaft and post within said member; said drive connections comprising a gear on the post and a pinion on the shaft.

5 A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power steering unit comprising a member adapted to be mounted on the tractor for relative lateral tilting about a longitudinal axis, a post adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, said post being mounted on and projecting from the member for relative rotation about an upstanding axis, said member being hollow and the post extendin thereinto, a reversible drive shaft projecting into the member and disposed co-axially with the said longitudinal axis of tilting thereof, and drive connections between the shaft and post within said member; said drive connections comprising a bevel gear on the post and a bevel pinion on the shaft. 7

6. A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power steering unit comprising a housing adapted to be mounted on the tractor-for relative lateral tilting about a longitudinal axis, a post journaled in the housing and projecting therefrom for relative rotation about an upstanding axis, the projecting portion of the post being adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, and drive means for imparting such relative rotation to the post connected thereto within the housing; the housing including oppositely extending trunnions about Which said housing is adapted to tilt, and said drive means including a drive shaft entering the housing co-axially through one of said trunnions.

7. A tractor-trailer draft coupling and power steering unit comprising a, housing having oppositely projecting trunnions adapted to be journaled on a tractor for relative lateral tilting of said housing about a longitudinal axis, a post journaled in the housing and projecting therefrom for rotation about an upstanding axis, the projecting part of the post being adapted to be fixed in connection with the trailer, a gear secured concentrically on the post in the housing, a

reversible drive shaft projecting into the housing co-axially through one of said trunnions, and a pinion on the shaft in mesh with the gear within the housing.

RICHARD LAWRENCE AAKERS. 

